This Lone Boy
by brensgrrl
Summary: Harry and Severus meet, but not according to canon. Written in response to a FuhQFest Challenge.


This Lone Boy 12/23/2005 

Alternative Universe/Alternative Reality; Crossover—Harry Potter/Star Wars Old Republic 30 BBY

Author: brensgrrl

Rating: PG-13 Pre-Slash

Pairing: HP/SS

Disclaimer: Both Severus and Harry are owned by the incomparable Jo Rowling and several multinational corporations. Mace Windu and the Jedi Temple are owned by George Lucas. I own nothing except the miserable plotline. Feedback: Please! To Unfortunately, I was unable to find one. Readers, please feel free to offer constructive comments!

AUTHOR NOTE: THIS SPECIFICALLY APPLIES TO MY FRIEND "KYER," a very impolite and unkind reader, who is clearly in possession of more time on their hands (can you say "get a life?" I know you could!) than common sense. Not surprising since some of my Yoruba ancestors did leave a saying that "sense is not common," which saying has been passed down through the generations of my family.  
At any rate it is clear that "KYER" did not read my comment that constructive criticism only was welcome.

If one wants to comment on my grammar or punctuation, or if one wants to LEAVE THEIR EMAIL ADDY to chat about any given plot points, then one is perfectly welcome. Persons offering to beta are especially welcome.

FLAMES of any type are NOT WELCOME, expecially anonymous ones.

"KYER" left comments of a useless and destructive nature. This person, obviously a Star Wars fanboy (and that term applies to rabid female fans as well), wasted my time by leaving remarks that added absolutely nothing to the art of writing. Rather than give a constructive analysis of the story, this ignornant and callow person critized the plotline and story contents because they did not comply with whatever this person felt was the canon of the SW universe. I will not honor the comments by repeating them here. As is the custom of suchlike persons, this "KYER" was too cowardly to leave a return address so that I could question them directly. Figures. Little minds such as "KYER's" are fearful of the questions of those more intelligent and articulate than they, and so they leave no email address for response. The truth is that they have no legitimate response and are afraid of being called into question and exposed for the charlatans they actually are.

For your information "KYER," I've been writing fanfiction (published) since 1966 (Star Trek-  
I saw SW 21 times in 1977 (I am a Star Wars canon expert) --where were you?

PLEASE--if you don't like Harry Potter, or Slash or crossovers, don't bother to read this story. I tried to weave the characters into Star Wars canon as best as possible, and if one does research on the Bacta Wars, one would understand that.

If you are one of those very tiresome Star Wars fanboys, please be mannerly and move on. Obviously, "KYER" was far too concerned with his or her pocket protector, his/her overweight status, whether Luke can beat up Spock,  
or their lack of a sex life and the receding status of their trouser length to leave a constructive comment. Don't be like them.  
If you have nothing of use to say, say nothing. Act intelligently, if nothing else. Once again, I welcome all good constructive comments left by persons who might possibly be interested in beta reading and corresponding.

Archive: Part of the From Dusk till Dawn Severus Snape/Harry Potter Fuh-Q-  
Fest at http/ 'Not here, Not now! No magic?' challenge. Harry and Severus meet for the first time, but NOT according to the official HP Canon.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

. . ."And this fawn of mine This lone boy Sets off on a journey Grass for his pillow". . .

Manyoshu Volume 9, No. 1790

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Mace Windu's first impulse was to go to the man's side and embrace him.

Yet the Jedi Master in him wanted to feel things out, to get a sense of things first.

And so he stood in his office for a bit, all of his perception riding the Force to scan the entity that was waiting.

Curiosity. Suspicion.

Fear. Darkness.

Clearly, this one felt that he had done something wrong, and that some sort of judgment was due. The timing of the recall had been perfect. Windu didn't have the heart to delay any longer. The Master laid his hand upon the seal of the door and strode into his reception chamber.

No amount of Empathy could have prepared him for the sight before him.

At first, there was no sign of acknowledgement from his visitor, who remained motionless and staring through the windows out into the endless busy-ness of the Coruscant night.

Windu also remained silent, gathering himself in the Force, patient in the way of all Jedi.

"I just remembered why I hate this place," Severus Snape intoned quietly, "it's completely artificial."

"I couldn't agree more," Windu replied as he brought all of his powers of observation to bear on his former apprentice.

Severus was Kuati, the son of middle class workers at the Drive Yards. As such, his parents wanted more for him than the life of a mere employee. It had been hoped that he would be chosen to serve as Telbun to a noble family.

As the child grew, however, nature precluded that outcome.

As with most Kuati, Severus was tall, thin and dark. Unlike most, however, he was thin-  
lipped with blackish and unnatural eyes, and a hawkish nose that dominated his face.

Beauty was essential to being chosen to father children of the high-born, and Severus was not that.

He was, nevertheless, very strong in the Force, and noticed by Ro-Tahn Senn during a mission to the industrial planet. It was he who brought the unlovely child back to the Temple.

Severus proved to be ingenious and resourceful as a youngling and likeable, despite his unprepossessing appearance. By the time he was of age, many Knights were vying to be matched with him as Padawan.

It was Windu, though, who won that privilege.

With delight he'd taught the precocious child. Severus was a highly intelligent individual, an avid reader and a ready learner. He had an analytical mind and an ability to master nearly every subject, although he could be rather dogged at times to the point of being absent-  
minded whenever he was in deep study of his favorite things. He had also proven to be proficient in the martial arts, both melee combat and use of the lightsaber. In fact, Severus had been one of the few apprentices ever to master the Vaapad seventh form. In time, he'd grown into an adept and clever Jedi.

With elation Windu had seen him into his Knighthood, and joy had greeted Severus' choice of childhood companion Warryk Bastra as his partner.

Severus and Warryk had been assigned on a mission to the Thyferra Sector to provide oversight to the production of the precious healing Bacta subsequent to the disastrous sabotage of the alazhi crop. Jedi assistance had been requested when the entire sector had been overrun by smugglers and brigands who sought to dominate the market for the wonder medicine. It was during this very dangerous time that Bastra was ambushed and killed by pirates.

After that, Severus seemed to fold in on himself, turning away from companionship and attention of any kind.

For the past five years, he'd worked alone at Thyferra, his reports to the Jedi Council sporadic at best.

And then came the rumors of Sith activitity in that Sector, and worry assaulted Windu until he decided to recall Severus Snape. Three summons had been sent with no response; then the Council itself dispatched a pair of Knights to see to Severus' safe return to the Temple.

Snape had never been meticulous about appearance, not even as a young apprentice. The quest for knowledge was so much more important to him; but it was also exceedingly plain that the years since his Knight-Partner's death hadn't been kind.

Severus' hair was unwashed and hung lifelessly over his shoulders. His face was pallid and his reflexes slow. His midnight black robes were now threadbare at both collar and hem and hung limply from his spare frame. Yet those robes did impart a measure of mass. Windu was troubled at the notion of what the Knight might look like without them. Worse yet, the Force reverberated with agitation despite the man's veneer of calm.

"I am sorry, Master," Severus said without turning from the window. "I did receive your messages, but I was just so preoccupied."

"I do understand, Severus; but do you understand our concern?"

"Completely." The young Knight turned to face his Master then. "I was disobedient in ignoring your calls; but I was on the verge of a breakthrough. I've isolated the active ingredients and I am convinced that under favorable laboratory conditions the Bacta can be successfully synthesized. If we can do this, we can provide the medicine to more who need it as a much lower cost."

"And what of the Vratix? Do they approve of this plan?"

"They do." Severus tucked his thin hands into the worn sleeves of his overrobe. "The Zaltin Cartel's poisoning of the fields resulted in an ecological disaster. Production is down, and it is not expected to return to normal levels for several years. As you know, prices have escalated. There is grave concern that the remaining shipments of pure Bacta will be lost to pirates who will adulterate it and flood the galaxy with dangerous counterfeits. The Vratix are clever; they find that the better alternative is to have some synthetic production elsewhere—under license, of course."

"That would be a more peaceful solution, and it does make a lot of sense." Windu mused thoughtfully, his hand against his chin. "I appreciate your assessment and your wisdom, Padawan, even though the report is past due."

Windu's use of the affectionate honorific won a slight smile, and the Master smiled in return.

"Tomorrow," Windu continued, "we will meet with the Council, the Chief Chemist and the Master Healer to decide who will be assigned to the project."

Severus dark eyes flashed, a glint of anger quickly tamped down by Jedi control.

"Forgive me, Master," Severus said, evenly, "but this is my project. Surely it is I who should also meet with the Council and it is I who should be assigned as one of the lead workers."

"That is seemingly so, Severus; and you will rejoin the Bacta project later. For now, however, Master Yoda and I have agreed that another effort will be of greater benefit to you."

Snape turned back toward the window and sighed. Yoda was involved. It was clear that no opposition would succeed.

"Why can't I be assigned to the project, Master? I did all of the preliminary research. I completed all of the necessary negotiations."

"Because," Windu replied, striding to Severus's side and resting a compassionate hand on his shoulder, "you are going to take a Padawan."

OOOOOOOO

It was a Mandalorian standoff of sorts.

For nearly an hour, he'd sat across from the child and simply refused to speak to him. There was no way in the forty hells of the Sith that he was going to let anyone coerce him into taking any apprentice. He hated children and he'd never consent to nursemaid one for the next.

oooooooooooooooo

"Stay in this room, both of you will, until your Padawan he is!" The eldest of the Jedi Grand Masters had punctuated his command with a sharp rap of his gimer-stick to Severus' right shin. Then he giggled.

How could anyone possibly think this was funny?

"Master," he'd gritted out through clenched teeth, "I don't need a Padawan. I don't need ANYBODY! There's no time for this!"

"Time there IS," Yoda swung the stick back for a second whack and Severus neatly sidestepped the blow, so that the diminutive Master spun a little on his splay feet. "Need this you do!"

"Master Windu, why are you letting him do this to me?" Severus pleaded. " I know nothing of Initiates or Padawans. I don't want to be a Master--I don't know HOW to be a Master!  
All I need is to get back to my work."

"Ah yes," Windu replied with a smile, "you want to return to your relentless search for knowledge."

"Precisely," Severus responded, pleased that his former Master seemed to understand.

"Then you know that those who value the pursuit of knowledge must also let their minds be free enough to follow wherever that search may lead. Answers are found in places other than laboratories, Padawan. Consider this a remedial lesson."

oooooooooooooooooo

They'd left him then, imprisoned him in this room with the fish-eyed boy.

Severus didn't bother to mask his resentment. He wasn't a Learner anymore, and he hated it when Master Windu played the Mystical Jedi Master game with him,

The child sat on the other side of the table, staring back patiently over the uneaten meal. There was a soft click, followed by a whirr as the boy leaned forward for a closer look.

Severus did roll his eyes then. They'd left him with a boy who was nearly blind.

"I'm," . . .

Severus raised a restraining hand, "I don't want to know."

Furthermore, the boy was scrawny and clearly suffering the aftereffects of malnourishment. No matter its midiclorian count, the child was clearly physically unfit for training.  
And they want to foist this defective off on me! Severus took a deep breath, his shoulders stiffening in resolve.

No matter what hair-brained scheme the Master Gnome and his former Padawan had hatched, he wasn't going on with it. He rose and went to the chamber door,. Impatiently he rapped his knuckles against the plasteel.

"Masters, I think that we're finished here. Could you please let us out now?"

No response. Of course there would be no response. This whole thing was Yoda's doing.

Severus crossed the room to look out the window, turning his back on the boy. The lights of transports streaked by, and Severus wished with all his strength that he were on one of them, headed for the nearest spaceport.

"Is this where I am going to live?" the boy asked.

"No. This is not where you are going to live. You are going back to the Initiate's dormitory. Despite anything you've heard to the contrary, I do not intend to take you or anyone else as Padawan."

"Fine by me," the boy answered matter-of-factly. "The others said that you were mean and I don't want you either. You're ugly."

Severus felt an unexpected sting at that. "Compared to who? Master Yoda?"

"Master Yoda's nice."

After a few long minutes, Severus heard the clink of cutlery as the boy began to eat part of the congealed meal.

"Rrr oll da roombs lk'dis?"

"Don't speak with your mouth full. And what rooms do you mean?"

The boy gulped awkwardly.

The rooms where the Masters stay. Are they like this room?"

"Why should they be? Every Master is different. Some have Padawans; some are finished teaching and have Knight-Partners; some are alone. The room they have depends on their circumstances."

"If dis onyous?"

Severus snorted as he turned to face the child once again. "No, this isn't my room. This is Master Windu's room. I don't have a place at Temple anymore.

The boy picked up a blumfruit muffin and proceeded to stuff the whole thing into his mouth.

"Why are you gorging yourself like that?"

"Th'fuds bd en Bandmer."

"And I told you not to talk with food in your mouth. What do you mean, 'the food's bad on Bandomeer?''

Severus looked on with disgust as the boy's throat worked to swallow the overlarge mouthful.

"They told me that if you didn't take me, then I was going to Bandomeer, and the food's not so good there."

"They?" Severus asked with a sneer.

"Derlin, Dorja and Kirken."

"Friends of yours from the crèche?" Severus asked. The boy responded with a nod.

Severus snorted, "I see that that particular rumor mill is still grinding out fantasy tales. For your information, one has to be over thirteen and unchosen before one is sent to Bandomeer. Master Windu told me that you are eleven. I am merely tossing you back to give someone else—the privilege-so to speak. And I've never heard of anyone starving there. Where do you think those muffins came from?"

The boy paused in mid-reach and glared at Severus. His hand dropped back into his lap.

Severus, clearly pleased that he had finally been able to shock the boy into silence, smiled openly and turned back to the window.

The hush, however, was short lived.

"Why don't you have a room at Temple? Where do you stay?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "None of your business and none of your business," he replied testily.

There was a slight rustling of fabric as the boy rose from the table and came to face him.

"Derlin said that you were Master Windu's Padawan."

When Severus gave no response, the boy continued, "Were you Master Windu's Padawan?"

"Yes," Severus gritted out, "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Then you used to live here, in these rooms. You lived here with Master Windu."

"Master Windu didn't live in these rooms when I was his Padawan. Knights with Padawans live in larger quarters. There is a common room and two bedrooms. Master Windu doesn't have a Padawan right now and he so he lives in quarters for one."

The boy smiled slightly then, rocking back on his heels.

"And don't get any ideas," Severus admonished, "And don't bother pumping me for information about Master Windu. I'm not volunteering anything."

"Did you use to have a Padawan where you lived?"

"Did you know that foolish people can be identified by their tendency to talk too much?"

The boy sighed and closed his verdant eyes. "I want to get out of here."

"Finally, we agree on something."

"I don't like you and I'm leaving," the boy said as he ran over to the door. "I want to go back," he called out while pushing the door release.

There was no answer and the door did not open. He began to beat on the door with both fists.

"Let me OUT!" he called again in a quavering voice.

"It's obvious that they aren't letting either of us out, at least not tonight. You may as well sit back down."

The boy threw himself down on the settee, and fat tears began to stream down his cheeks.

Severus gave a windy sigh and sat down next to the boy. "I am certain that Master Yoda was only joking when he said we would be kept here until I decided to take you as Padawan. After all, you must also agree, and it's clear that we aren't well matched. They will realize their mistake by morning and let us both out." He used a corner of his sleeve to wipe the tears from the boy's face. The boy looked up at him through watery eyes. "Why don't we both try and get some sleep?"

"There's only one bed."

"You take the bed and I'll sleep over here, then," Severus answered.

The boy crossed the room and crawled up onto Windu's huge bed, his back toward Severus.

Severus stared at the curl of that small back in irritation. He worried over what the Masters may have discussed with the boy, over the ideas that may have been planted in that unkempt head.

For a while, Severus knelt in meditation, seeking the stillness that he needed to find his center of relaxation. The Force had been roiling tonight, unbalanced and agitated.

No matter what, it was certain that he'd come off the villain in this one; the boy was clearly trying to save face, to hide heartbreak at his rejection.

But that wasn't his problem, was it. He wasn't the one who set the boy up for a fall.

What a foolish idea, pairing him with a Padawan. He wasn't fit to be with a Padawan. After all, it was his own carelessness that destroyed a Knight-Partner. Just when he'd thought that the whole episode with Warryk had run its course, Windu and Yoda had thrown this at him.

Maybe the past was like one of those fevers one would contract in the Dagobah System; he'd always be susceptible to a possible attack.

For a moment, he fell to visualizing himself with Warryk on some of those early missions, and those visions trickled into mental pictures of the lovers they'd become.

He banished those phantoms and stretched out to the Force in hopes of gaining tranquility,  
to no avail.

The Knight rose to his feet then, and touched the controls for the window shutters, closing off the Coruscant night. He turned off the ambient lighting, wrapped up in his robe and fitted his lanky frame onto the setee.

Ridiculous, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, I'll stick to my convictions and both of them will see reason in the morning. I couldn't even keep Warryk safe; how in the worlds am I going to protect this boy?

OOOOOOOOOO

There was a touch to his shoulder, and then he was being shaken awake in earnest. Instinctively, he sprang to his feet, one hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.

"I can't sleep in the dark. Please turn the lights back on."

Severus sat back down heavily. "Nonsense. I'll help you back to bed."

"I don't want to sleep over there."

"Here then, we'll trade places. You sleep on the sofa and I'll take the bed. You can have the blankets."

After tucking the blankets around the small form on the sofa he retired to the bed and only dimmed the lights this time.

OOOOOOOOOO

A sense of being watched tickled at the fringes of awareness, and he slitted his eyes open to find a small figure standing next to the bed. Severus shut them again, hoping for the apparition to fade away. He opened them again. Still there.

For a minute the boy regarded him warily yet hopefully, the indicators of his ocular enhancement sensors winking blue at his temples.

"Get in then," Severus murmured as he scooted over to make room. The small figure nestled against him, and he flipped his robe over them both, too lazy to retrieve the blankets from the setee.

After a few minutes, a small voice called from the vicinity of his chest, ""Did you use to have a Padawan? Is that why you don't want me—because you miss someone else?"

"I've never had a Padawan. I took a Knight-Partner and we went away on mission together," Severus answered quietly.

"Where's he, then?" the boy asked in a whisper.

Would the child NEVER shut up?

"He died while on mission. And don't ask me for the story now."

"Oh. I'm very sorry."

"Thank you for caring. Go to sleep now."

"By the way, I'm Harry; what's your name?" the muffled voice asked.  
"Severus Snape."

"It is an honor to meet you, Knight Snape," the boy replied with a yawn.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Severus awoke to a not-too-unfamiliar sensation of pressure and a oddly pleasant warmth. For the first time in months, he felt completely comfortable and utterly relaxed. All he could sense was the tranquility of the Living Force and the steady thud of the boy's heart as he lay against his chest.

For several minutes, he lay perfectly still, very much aware of all of the details now, but as calmly curious as if he were standing back in his laboratory on Thyferra, recording the details of his most recent successful experiment. As usual, he'd underestimated both of his Masters and the reasons for their insistence that he take this boy.

The child continued to sleep, making little puffing sounds when he let out his breath. Both of the boy's arms lay limply draped at Severus' sides.

A part of Severus insisted that he wake the child and put an end to such absurd intimacy, but the Force argued otherwise. And who was he if not Jedi and Telbun to the Force?  
He closed his eyes and in five minutes he was asleep again.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The next time he awoke, it was to the clunk of a pottery mug being put on the nightstand.

"It's morning. Time to get up! They brought us more food and everything!" the boy said cheerily.

Severus sat up and swung his feet to the floor. He lifted the proffered mug and took a bracing sip. The boy looked at him and smiled before returning to the table. He followed and took his seat opposite.

Once again, the child proceeded to stuff himself with food as if there was no tomorrow. Severus watched him for several minutes and sighed. For some reason, it didn't bother him at all now.

The boy looked up from his plate suddenly and hastily placed his hands on his lap. "Sorry"  
he said, clearly remembering the night before.

"What would you say if I told you that I've changed my mind?" Severus asked in response.

"I would tell you that I accept your offer."

"Even though I'm not nearly as nice as Yoda or as good-looking as Windu?"

The boy laughed.

"Come over here, then," Severus beckoned and the boy came to stand in front of him.

Severus leaned forward so that his hair shifted to the front and over his shoulder. He gathered a lock, and used a table knife to sever it.

"I'm afraid we have nothing to bind it. . ."

The boy held up his arm. "I have this," he said, indicating the brightly colored string bracelet tied about his wrist.

"Surely not that," Severus said, "won't your friends mind that it's gone?"

"Kirken won't mind," the boy smiled, "she'll be glad for me."

Severus untied the bracelet and placed it next to the hair. He took the boy's hand and pulled him closer until the child stood between his knees. After separating a tuft just above the boy's left ear he picked up the hair he'd cut from his own head and looped it around to begin.

"Is it always this unruly?" he asked as he wove the braid.

End

Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., speech at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, October 8, 1952


End file.
